AOL Pictures Usage Reminder

IMPORTANT REMINDERS WHEN USING PICTURES:

Remember that pictures posted within products (Member Directory, AOL® Journals, etc.) or shared through e-mail (and saved to an AOL® Pictures album) can be downloaded from those products and saved by other AOL members. Other members may then distribute your picture to others, or may order prints or other merchandise containing your image through the AOL® Pictures service.

While it may violate copyright or other rights of others if people share or otherwise reproduce posted pictures, keep in mind some members may do so regardless. If you do not want others to be able to download, save, distribute, or order merchandise containing your picture, please do not share or post your picture in this manner.

Most of the text, graphics, and other information you'll find on the Internet is copyrighted. The person or company that created that work (whether it's a picture, book, song or home page) owns it and has the exclusive right to reproduce and distribute it.

Copying someone's copyrighted information or content without permission is not allowed and can result in your being sued. Unless it says otherwise, any content probably is copyrighted. The moment someone creates an original picture, image, writing, piece of music, home page, or other material, it is copyrighted automatically.

Copyright extends to pictures, graphics, e-mail messages, text files, sound files, computer programs, Web pages and database files. Don't assume that something isn't copyrighted if there isn't a copyright notice -- no notice is required.

Defamation

You may also find yourself in legal trouble if you post words and/or images which may damage or lessen a person's (and, in some cases, a company's) reputation; that is, if you defame them.

While words and images which damage a person's reputation are not defamatory if they are substantially true, and while there may be other defences ultimately available depending on the circumstances, this does not mean that you won't find yourself in legal trouble (and possibly in Court) if someone takes offence at what you have said about them. In any event, you may think your statement was true when you made it but in fact it was not.

It also may not matter that you have made statements about a "public figure". While there may be different considerations involved, public figures have rights under defamation law as well.

If you have any questions about your own situation, consult a lawyer.

By posting or sharing your picture on the AOL® service, you are representing to AOL and to other AOL® members that you own the copyrights to the picture and that posting or sharing the picture will not violate anyone else’s rights. By posting or sharing your picture on the AOL service, you are also representing that your use of the picture will not constitute defamation Your use of AOL Pictures is also subject to the AOL Australia Terms of Service.